Soccer beats Eaglecrest, advances to second round

Soccer defeated Eaglecrest in inclement weather in a 2-0 affair, in which the result was in doubt until the last ten minutes of the match.

Fairview started out strong, with two near-goals from Oliver Gerland and Bryan Windsor, but Eaglecrest goalkeeper Cody Vegara stole the spotlight for the rest of the first half and into the second.

Vegara negated several Fairview chances, punching away oncoming corner kicks and snagging long line drives from Eric Kronenberg and Shane O'Neill without giving up a rebound. As the game creeped into the last ten minutes, doubt started to creep into the Knights' minds.

"Definitely," said O"Neill, when asked if the result was in question. "I wondered if it could be the last time ever playing for Fairview soccer."

With 10:43 left in the match, Kronenberg sent a through ball behind the Raptors defense that initially looked to be overpassed, but O'Neill sped to the ball, dribbled around Vegara and tapped the ball in, much to the relief of the fans who braved the weather.

Fairview wasn't done scoring, as Amos Nash beat his defender and worked his way around Vegara, shooting into an empty net to effectively end the Raptors' season.

The Knights advance to the second round of the state playoffs to face Rock Canyon, who defeated Ralston Valley on Tuesday. Fairview fell at Ralston Valley in their non-conference schedule in what O'Neill characterized as "the worst performance of the season."

"I think if we can come out and play our A game, it shouldn't be a problem," said O'Neill. "I'm not too nervous about it."